Blood of Olympus
by Kimmie G914
Summary: Percy and Annabeth have survived Tartarus...barely. But the fight in hell didn't leave them the same as before; they've noticably changed, and they can't help it. Nico, Reyna, and Coach Hedge are off to return the Athena Parthenos to Camp Half-Blood, all while Gaea is rising and the giants are ready for war. Can the seven get to Athens in time to stop Gaea, while saving the camps?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, Everyone!**

**I finished the House of Hades earlier today...well, technically yesterday, seeing as it's past midnight now and everything, and oh my gods, I loved it so much!**

**So, this is my version of the fifth book of the Heroes of Olympus series, the Blood of Olympus!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1

Percy

Percy's head was hurting again.

He'd been suffering from a challenging headache that was just as persistent to cause him pain as the giants since they'd set off.

The stars were fading and the sun was breaking.

Percy was gripping the rail with both hands, staring at the sky.

Leo's plan was to fly until they hit the water. Then they would sail.

Percy had missed the water most of all during his unjustified time in Tartarus with Annabeth. He'd missed real, sea green, flowing, not-made-of-fire water.

He wanted to take a bath in it; he wanted to jump down and swim all the way to Athens, just loving the water he missed so dearly.

But that wasn't a possibility, because he had work to do on the ship.

Percy was used to feeling tired; all through his trip into Tartarus, he'd been tired. Physically and mentally, he had been worn and in need of rest constantly.

What bothered him was the fact that he _wasn't _tired. He had been awake all night with Annabeth, keeping watch and waiting to finish his promise to Bob.

His heart cracked a little more. _Bob_.

_We never should have left you behind. There should have been another way. I'm sorry if you're dead now. You're the best friend anyone could ask for._

The sun peaked over the horizon, and he smiled a watery smile. "Hey, Sun. Bob says hello."

"I know." Whisper from behind him didn't even make him jump. He hadn't know she was there, but his senses weren't on high alert right now. He never thought he would be able to jump at the sound of a voice again, or to flinch when someone jumped out in front of him, or panic when a weapon from a fellow demigod came rushing to meet him. He had been through Tartarus; he was constantly one step away from dying.

There was no other alert like that.

Annabeth wrapped her arms around him from behind. He was rigid with anger and guilt. He was mad. If Annabeth had agreed to let him stay behind, he could have saved Bob. He could have saved her, and Bob, and Damasen. She had been so quick to throwing them under the bus for their own safety; she hadn't fought for them to come along. She had just let them go.

_I should have thought about you more. I should have come to visit you_.

"You're blaming yourself, aren't you?" Annabeth asked, running a soothing hand up and down his prominent spine.

He didn't answer.

"Or are you blaming both of us?" Annabeth's hand stopped.

"If you had just let me stay…" he whispered.

"You know that wasn't an option."

"It was for me."

"Would you have left the fate of the world like that?"

He clenched his teeth. "Bob was more important than that. He was. And I should have then that. I should have pushed him into the elevator and pushed the button myself."

"Percy, I'm going to be straight forward with you," she let him go and pressed her back to the rail next to him, leaning her elbows on it. "If you had done that, we more than likely would have all died."

Percy turned his hung head in her direction. "What do you mean?"

"They would have overwhelmed you; the monsters. You wouldn't have been able to hold it for the full twelve minutes. You would have died, we would have died, and the world would have ended. There was only one choice. Only one, and we made it. Bob was willing. Damasen was willing." She eyed him from her sloppy ponytail. "Do you understand."

Percy's shoulder's slumped. She was right.

She was so, horribly right.

He felt his eyes water and he whispered, "I just wish there was another way."

And then she hugged him, and he pressed his face into her neck, and she stroked his hair.

"I love you, Wise Girl," he whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too."

Percy noticed she didn't seem particularly tired, either. Did time move differently in Tartarus? Were they still catching up with sleep?

Would it still be "morning" in Tartarus?

How are Bob and Small Bob?

Percy had decided it would be best for his state of mind to assume they had all made it out of the fight alive.

He pulled away from Annabeth and said, "Want to eat some more real food before the real fight starts?"

"Ah, good ole real food. I don't think I'll ever get sick of anything again."

"You and me both, Wise Girl." They held hands as they started walked off the deck, toward the dining hall for a really early dinner.

They collected a plate of food for each of them, and Percy tried his best to ignore the images of Camp Half-Blood playing at their backs. He glanced over at Annabeth and saw she was extra fidgety.

Like, Leo fidgety, which was very out of character for his Annabeth.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded. She swallowed, but it seemed forced. "Hey, can we, um…eat on the deck?"

He nodded. "Sure."

They walked up and ate under the slowly dissipating stars and the bright colors of the sunrise.

Annabeth seemed much more comfortable sitting on the deck then below it.

"Hey…I know Tartarus screwed us both up pretty bad," he admitted, turned to looked at her as she shoveled scrambled eggs in her mouth, "but do want to tell me what's going on with you?"

She continued to eat; as did Percy, of course. Silence wasn't going to stop him ever again.

She swallowed harshly and took a quick breath before saying, "I just…I can't stand being below deck. I just…I like the sky. I can't…I was never in any tight spaces. I was never…I was never stuck in a crevice for a long time, I was never…I don't know what's wrong with me. I just can't handle it down there."

Percy ate as he listened. Before he knew it, his plate was empty. He smiled at her. "I think I have some little, unexplainable quirks, too."

She eyed him. "Like what?"

He shrugged. "I don't know yet. They'll surface; don't you worry."

Her laugh was empty and she shook her head and watched the boards on the deck.

"I really love this ship," she said suddenly. "I mean, I met back up with you in Camp Jupiter because I was on this ship. I always felt safe on this ship. And now, here I am, again, on this ship."

"How can you feel safe on this ship?" Percy asked. "It's always getting attacked."

"That's our fault, not the ship's fault," Annabeth laughed.

The sun was basically up.

"I think it's time to wake everyone," Percy said. "I'll be right back."

He stood up and looked down at her his sitting girlfriend, her blonde hair surrounding her hair with a golden glow because of the sun light.

"Come back," she whispered.

He nodded and walked downstairs.

* * *

Once everyone was assembled on the deck, Leo started to guide the ship, taking it off autopilot. He smiled as Percy watched him work.

"Yeah, it's in the dashboard now," Leo explained. He started talking about a few of the other adjustments Leo had made to the ship, when Percy felt like he was being watched.

He went completely stiff and rigid. He was on high on alert for anything, and he looked over his shoulder to see Jason, studying him with…disapproval?

Oh hell no.

Percy turned to go over to him, instinctively rolling up one of his sleeves, ready to slug Jason in the jaw, when Leo grabbed his arm and said, "Percy? Yo, dude, what's the matter with you?"

He let his hand drop and sighed. What was wrong with him?

He turned back to Leo and said, "Give me a day or two to readjust."

Leo studied him for a second. Then he quietly asked, "Were you going to…"

Percy shrugged. "I don't know." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don't know! I don't know anything anymore!"

He wanted to hit something. He needed to be alone.

"Just keep it under control," he muttered, whether it was to Leo or himself he wasn't sure, but he stalked below deck and walked into his room for a while.

He slammed the door to make himself feel better.

He collapsed on his bed and rested his elbows on his knees. He held his head in his hands and stared at the floor between his shoes.

Quirk Number One found: Percy was way more aggressive now.

He was busy thinking off all these ways to get himself back; being nicer, practicing patience, always thinking the best of people's intentions for a while, when suddenly the ship hit the water.

The impact was perfect. It soothed Percy to a point of relaxation.

He stood up and decided to go back up on deck for a while, being with the group. He was still going to be reliable. He might be a little unpredictable until he got himself back together, but that was fine with him. He was going to get through it.

He climbed back on deck and smiled. He smiled at Frank. He was proud of Frank and everything he had done. It was a genuine smile.

Annabeth was leaning against the rail, sucking in air. He placed his hand on her shoulder and she said, "Percy, my head hurts so much…"

"Tartarus side effect number one. They really should put the side effects in the description, shouldn't they?" Percy joked.

Annabeth laughed. "Yeah."

"Hey, everybody?" Frank called out.

Percy and Annabeth turned to him, as did everyone else.

He cleared his throat and he said, "So, we're officially sailing now. We need to discuss the plan to get to Athens."

"We're sailing right into the Saronic Gulf," Leo explained. "It minimizes land time and it's fairly short. Unless, of course," Leo looked over at the two of them, "Annabeth has a better idea?"

"It might be short, but is it fourteen days short?" Annabeth asked, and then she walked over to him to look at the GPS.

"I mean, along with all the threats Gaea is going to throw our way…are we sure it's the best we have?"

"It'll be harder across the water to get us than over land," Hazel promised.

Suddenly, Jason was beside Percy against the railing.

"Grace-" Percy started.

"What's your definition of a hero?" Jason asked suddenly.

Percy was confused. But he answered honestly. "A person who knows what's best and does what's right for the group, no matter what the cost. It's his job to make the sacrifices and decisions."

Jason shook his head. "You know what I think being a hero means?"

"What?"

"That they know they're part of a group." Jason looked directly into Percy's eyes them. "That they remember and think about everyone, and they know the responsibility isn't _only _them. That they have help."

Percy met his gaze and held it. "I haven't done anything wrong already, have I?"

He meant to laugh, but it just wouldn't happen.

Jason shook his head. "Nothing you can fix, no."

And with that, he pushed off the rail and walked over to Piper.

And then he looked over to check on Annabeth.

She had her hand on Leo's arm, and he was looking angry, upset, and frustrated.

Percy was about to go see what was going on, when the ship suddenly rocked with a sudden force.

Everyone snapped to full attention, but Percy already had Riptide out and he was perched on the railing, holding onto it with one hand and balancing on the balls of his feet, watching the water.

"Percy," Annabeth's voice drafted over to him, and then she said, "Guys, we need help, now!"

Percy leapt down and ran across the deck to see what Annabeth was seeing.

A massive whirlpool was forming; the edge right next to the _Argo II_, and it was slowly being dragged into it.

Everyone started working on autopilot, Percy and Annabeth shouting commands. Leo tried to steer away from it, but it just sucked the back end of the boat into it.

Annabeth and Percy gripped the rail as they shouted more orders and the ship fell backward, into the whirlpool.

Percy tried to control it, but it was out of his control.

_We aren't dying now_, Percy thought as he watched his friends desperately trying to pull the ship together.

_We made it out of Tartarus to win, not to die in some damn whirlpool_¸ Percy thought angrily.

They had made it out of Tartarus to live, and _that _was what they were going to do.

* * *

**And that was chapter one! I made it extra long for you guys, so...yeah!**

**Thanks for Reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, Everyone!**

**Chapter 2 of Blood of Olympus! I'm so excited for this story you guys, I can't believe they're making us wait until Fall of next year _again_! That's literally a full year away!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Leo

Leo was sick and tired of things attacking his ship.

He also had a pretty sick feeling that it wasn't just a whirlpool.

"Annabeth?" Frank asked.

"Hang on, I'm trying!" Annabeth spat.

All the noise coming on from behind him was making it harder to steer the ship in the crisis.

"Um, I think it's Charybdis, a whirlpool monster. But she usually stays within the Strait of Messina," she yelled over the rush of the swirling water, dragging us in to the center to go overboard.

"So, it that all she is? A whirlpool?" Piper asked.

"Uh…she's…um…she's estimated to be about seventy-five feet across…I'm trying to figure out why she left the Strait." Annabeth said.

"How do you fight a whirlpool?" Hazel asked.

"By being quiet and letting the Captain steer the boat," Leo muttered to himself, then he screamed, "Hang on to something!" And forced the ship forward in a last chance effort.

"Oh my gods, Leo, it's working!" Hazel shouted with joy. "Keep going!"

"I'm going to see if I can help," Percy yelled over the sloshing on sea water on the hull.

Soon, the water around the ship was pushing them along, away from the whirlpool.

But it was catching up quickly, still trying to swallow them.

"Gah!" Leo cried, frustrated. "It's not enough."

"I got it!" Annabeth yelled suddenly, it made Leo jump.

"What?" Jason asked.

"Charybdis is a child of Poseidon, which is what threw me off a first, but she's also a daughter of Gaea."

"Oh, great," Percy yelled. "Another half-sibling wants to kill me. That's just peachy…"

"And us, too," Jason said.

The silence from Percy was thick with malice. Was there something going on between the two of them.

The ship was knocked sideways as the water hit them with enough force to knock them back into the spiral of the whirlpool again.

Was flung backward across the deck and he landed on his back on the polished wood.

He groaned and rubbed the back of his head as he sat up. "Ow…"

"You okay?" Hazel called to him.

He nodded. "Yeah…"

Something clicked in Leo just then.

"Percy, can you keep working the water? Try your best to keep us out of her clutches as long as possible," Leo asked.

Percy nodded. "Can do."

"Annabeth, Frank, can you two come below deck with me? I need help with another improvement in the engine room."

"Actually-" Percy started, but Annabeth cut him off, "Yeah, I'll help."

Percy looked worried, as if there was something Annabeth wasn't saying. But Leo brushed it off and took them below deck. He started to explain his idea to the two of them.

"We need more horse power; I'm going to bump up the power off the engine and add another boost," he explained.

"Don't you already have, like, five boosts?" Frank asked.

"You have that many? Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Leo got bored. Often."

"How? Weren't you guys constantly fighting to get to Epirus?"

"Let's change the subject, shall we?" Leo said as he felt his ears heating up from embarrassment.

That made Annabeth chuckle and Frank nudged him in the air with his fist as they descended into the engine room.

Leo bent down in from of one of his first boosters. He stared at it and said, "Actually, Frank, I think you're right. I have too many boosters."

"I didn't mean to-" Frank started but Leo smiled.

"I just need to upgrade the ones I already have. Annabeth, can you get me some Celestial bronze from that pile over in the corner?" Leo asked. He had started keeping some in the engine room so he wouldn't have to go to the storage room to do more repairs and enhancements.

Annabeth brought him a couple large plates and he began to work; wielding pieces together with his hands and cutting plates apart and hammering them in place.

Annabeth suddenly stuttered, "Um…if you don't need me anymore, can I go back up to the deck?"

"Sure," Leo muttered too focused in his work to really care.

"Great, bye!" Annabeth said quickly.

"It looked to me like she couldn't've been out of here fast enough," Frank said. "What did you do to her, Leo?"

"Nah, she just can't handle my sexy," Leo replied, smiling.

Frank chuckled. "It is getting a little hot in there; want me to go back to the deck, too?"

"If you want to go," Leo replied. "I was expecting heavy lifting and another blueprint for a more powerful booster, if you were wondering why I brought you two down here in the first place."

He shot fire into the new open hole that would generate the power, and the whole booster shuddered to life.

He smiled. "Perfect."

He stood up and looked at Frank. "We have until the fire dies. Let's make this count."

They ran upstairs back on deck.

The situation was any better than when they'd left it. Percy was collapsed on the deck, leaning against the mast, breathing heavily with Annabeth by his side.

"He couldn't work any harder," Hazel explained as Leo rushed to the controls. "We expected him to pass out, but he just fell down and couldn't get back up."

Leo grabbed his Wii controllers and pressed the red button for the booster he'd just enhanced, and then shot the ship forward.

"Jason, fire the catapults at the center of the whirlpool," Leo commanded as they started to slip back toward the real water, away from the whirlpool.

"Didn't Annabeth say it was seventy-five feet across?" Jason asked, panicked.

"That means you only have 37.5 feet to shoot across!" Annabeth yelled to him.

The angry attacks of the ocean on the boat and the power of the ship pushing away and out of the whirlpool sent ocean spray onto the deck, showering everyone in salty water.

Soon after, Percy Jackson was standing again. "What can I do?" he asked.

"Same thing you were doing before, Percy," Leo said. "If you're up for it."

"As long as you keep that salt water coming, I can stay standing," Percy said determined. "We'll get out of here."

The ship pushed forward, out of the whirlpool, as Percy pulled the ship forward with the water around it. The farther out the ship was able to get, the more water Percy had to work with.

They were just about out, and Percy yelled, "I'm losing my grip!"

"Jason, _now_!" Leo yelled, and he heard the rope snap the loud _gu-lunck _of the rocks flying out of the catapult.

The impact was perfect, and the whirlpool lessened, and the boat shot forward, out of the whirlpool and across the ocean.

"LEO!" Hazel wailed. "SLOW IT DOWN BEFORE I VOMIT!"

He pressed the red button again, but it wouldn't go off.

"We just have to wait until the fire dies," Leo promised over the rushing water and the ocean spray that was pelting the deck, "it shouldn't be long now. Feel free to vomit over the rail if you-"

A loud retching sound filled the air for a moment as Hazel puked, hopefully over the rail like he'd asked her too.

Suddenly, the ship slowed, and the sudden change almost sent Leo flying across the deck again, but he held his ground and the ship went back into regular motion.

"Great work, Team," Leo said as Percy took shallow breaths next to Annabeth. "I'm glad we have you two back. That would have been _way _harder without you, Percy."

He smiled a weak smile. "Thanks. Glad to be back."

Leo checked his GPS just to make sure they were still on course (which they were, of course), and then they sailed off at regular speed toward Athens.

* * *

**Yay, no more evil whirlpool monsters! XD.**

**Thanks for Reading**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, Everyone!**

**I tried to make this chapter not so boring, and sorry it's up so late, I had a couple soccer games today and it took me longer to write because I was so tired afterward. But don't worry, it's here now. :P.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 3

Nico

Nico was _really _starting to get fed up with the happy attitudes of his companions.

His favorite part of the whole endeavor would probably have been being away from Percy. No hero to distract him from being a hero on his own.

They had landed in Florida on their first shadow travel event. They had rested until Nico had woken up from passing out, and then they moved on foot for a while until Nico felt up to shadow traveling again.

They ended up in South Carolina, and then in Maryland. And the whole time, Coach Hedge was either whistling, or talking about what a great day it was. Nico was tempted to steal the satyr's baseball bat and bash his head in.

And Reyna would either talk about her legions or the war, but simply to herself. Nico only heard her when they were carrying parts of the statue that were close by. But what really set him off was when she said, "I guess it could be worse."

Sure, it could get worse, she was right about that, but that implied that the situation at hand was only "bad."

And it was so much more than that.

It was stressful, frustrating, irritating, confusing, and enraging.

So Nico really didn't think the word "bad" could cut it.

Nico sighed. "I don't think I can shadow travel anymore today. We should keep moving, though."

"Are you sure?" Reyna asked.

Coach shrugged. "As long as we get there, it doesn't matter how to me."

Nico scowled. "How about dead? Is that fine with you?"

Coach blinked. "No, that would definitely _not _be fine with me."

Nico turned on his heel and stomped off as Reyna came after him, shouting, "Wait!"

"What?" Nico whirled around. "Are you just going to tell me that 'it could be worse?' Because it's already _worse_. It could go to hell. Or, if we're getting serious, it could go to Tartarus. But it's _worse right now_."

Reyna stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Nico like he wasn't even there.

He shook his head. He was so angry at the world. He couldn't figure out why these two people had high spirits when the entire world was crashing down around them like this.

And he was too weak to do anything about it.

And suddenly Reyna lunged forward and tackled Nico to the ground.

Nico was about to shove her off and scream when he looked up and saw the large shadow passing overhead.

_Hellhounds_, he thought.

He heard the snarl of another and he rolled over Reyna, pulling her with him as the black beast snapped its jaws where they had just been laying.

Nico sprang to his feet and drew is Stygian blade as Reyna drew her javelin.

"We're not trying to _skewer _then, Reyna, we're trying to kill them," Nico said through gritted teeth as he watched the two hellhounds in from of him.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Reyna taunted with a smile, and then she leapt forward and aimed at the monster's chest.

It flinched in response and raised its paw to defend itself, and Reyna stabbed through that instead.

But Nico was hesitant. He stared at the monster staring him down and he thought of Mrs. O'Leary, the hellhound he had owned for a while before she stayed with Percy at Camp Half-Blood.

Nico's grip on his sword tightened.

He couldn't help but feel bitter about it, could he? Everyone left him for Percy; Bianca, Hazel, Mrs. O'Leary. He always wanted to say something to the dog, but what could he have said? _Why did you choose him over me? Just because he could give you a stable home and keep you safe doesn't mean anything. I rescued you in the first place_!

As the beast crept slowly up to him, Nico cried out and slashed his sword through both its eyes.

It roared in response and reared backward.

Nico, clenching his jaw, stabbed it through the legs, then through the chest as it danced around, trying to find him.

Nico turned to help Reyna just as the monster exploded into dust behind him.

Reyna turned to him then, and she smirked, shook her head, and turned on the hellhound who was bleeding like crazy out f all its legs, and threw her spear straight through its chest.

She slid under the beast's massive body and caught her javelin as the monster exploded into shimmering dust all around her.

"Show off," Nico called to her as she stood up from her split and dusted herself off.

"Well, you looked like the hero in one of those corny movies where the building explodes behind them as they walked away, so I thought I had to top you," she shrugged as she jogged over to him.

"Yeah, well, you looked like a cheerleader," he retorted.

"Yeah, well, you looked more like a _fairy _king than a Ghost King, with all those golden sparkles floating behind you like that." They began walking back toward the statue and Coach Hedge.

Nico looked down at his black shirt and black leather jacket, black jeans and black shoes, and asked, "How on _Earth _could I _ever _look like a _fairy_?"

That made Reyna laugh, which was something Nico could never remember hearing during all his time in Camp Jupiter as the Ambassador of Pluto.

"Do you think Coach will be disappointed that he missed the fight?" Reyna asked.

Nico looked at him pacing back at forth, fiddling with the whistle that hung around his neck and shook his head. "No. He's trying to stay safe."

"Why?" Reyna asked, watching him too.

"Same reason why he's so happy," Nico replied as they finally showed up back at the statue.

"_There _you guys are," Coach said to them. "I was starting to get worried."

"We just fought some hellhounds," Nico shrugged.

Reyna nodded as she picked up her part of the statue again. "Yeah, you really didn't miss much. There were only two of them."

"Oh," Coach said and he and Nico both picked up different parts of the statue. "Well, as long as I didn't miss a fight _too _big."

That made Reyna smile and Nico shake his head.

"Well, let's get going then, guys," Nico said. "We have a long way to go before we get to New York."

* * *

**So, yeah, this chapter was shorter than my other chapters, I just wanted to give you a quick update on the whereabouts of Nico, Coach, and Reyna. Hope it wasn't _too _boring.**

**Thanks for Reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, Everybody!**

**I meant to put this chapter up yesterday, but I got really busy and I didn't get to finish it, so I finished it up and I posted it today, as you can see.**

**Second thing: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COUSIN!**

**I know you're reading this because you've always supported me, so I just wanted to say thanks for that, I love you so much, and have a happy, HAPPY birthday!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Annabeth

Annabeth had never imagined feeling so helpless before, but here it was, happening before her eyes. She was too weak, too jittery, too afraid, to be below the deck of the ship.

And there was nothing she could do about it.

She watched the sky as the ship moved along and remembered the horrible feeling she had just endured.

She knew Hazel's pain of seasickness now.

She had tried to prove to herself that she could get over her problem, and that she would relax in her cabin for a while. But that wasn't how it turned out at all, because Annabeth had gotten so fidgety, so nervous, but she had forced herself to stay.

And then she had thrown up in her bathroom toilet.

And then she ran up on deck, because she knew that was where she would be safest.

"Annabeth?" Piper's voice emanated from behind Annabeth, and she looked over her shoulder at the daughter of Aphrodite, one of her least favorite goddesses, but she wasn't relating Piper to her. Not truly.

"Hm?" she asked.

"Do you…um…have time to talk?" Piper asked, slightly tentatively.

Annabeth nodded and patted the railing next to her. "Sure." And then she looked back out at the open sky and blue water.

_Water_. _Sky_. It all felt so foreign to her. But wonderfully welcoming, all the same.

"So, I wanted to tell you something," Piper began, leaning on the rail next to her. "It's something that we've all noticed."

"Is it about me?" Annabeth asked. "My behavior? My weight? The lacking of my mind?" Annabeth laughed with no humor and shook her head at the clouds floating around. "I haven't been in the best conditions for a little while, but I'll get back into place. I think."

"You haven't slept since you got back on the ship, have you?" Piper asked.

It all came out in a rush; it took Annabeth a second to decipher what she said, and once she did, feeling ashamed of the slowness of her own mind yet again, she replied, "I haven't been tired."

"It's hard for me to believe that."

"It was for me, too. But it's happening. To Percy, too. We just haven't been tired. Or drowsy. The most exhausted either of us have been since we escaped was when Percy was fighting off Charybdis an hour ago!" Annabeth was slightly exasperated after that speech, and she noticed she was talking with her hands.

She calmly cleared her throat and pressed her hands back on the rail and stared at the sea, uncomfortable.

"You're remembering something," Piper said. "You still have that face."

"Charybdis was a monster Percy and I fought in the Sea of Monsters when we were thirteen," she stared at the water and suddenly felt a sinister pull to the waves lapping against the hull. "It's all the way in the Bermuda Triangle. It couldn't have gotten here that fast. She must have been planning this for a while."

"Annabeth?" Piper's voice was muddled and distant, like Annabeth was sinking in the dark water she was so fixated on.

"What else are we going to end up facing on the way to Athens this way?" Annabeth muttered, and then she snapped her head up and stared at Piper.

Piper's eyes were wide with fear. "Annabeth…"

"We have to change course. I need to see Leo, right now. We need to change course, and we need to get over land, now, soon, whenever, but now. The original plan won't work anymore."

Annabeth ran toward the stairs with Piper at her heels, and then Annabeth stopped when she reached them.

She couldn't go back down there. That wasn't happening. She turned to Piper. "Go tell Leo. Get him up here. We have to leave right now, before something else hits us that we can't handle, or-"

There was a sudden loud screeching sound, which was then echoed by four more deafening cries.

The rushing sound of gushing flame shot from nearby, and Annabeth drew her bone sword. "Piper. Get everyone on deck. Now. Before it arrives."

"But I can help-"

"Piper-"

"Let me fight with-"

"_Before _it arrives." Annabeth glared at her.

Piper shut her mouth and rushed downstairs, screaming, "GUYS!"

Annabeth lunged for the control panel and pressed the alarm button and listened to the sirens blare.

Percy busted onto the deck, his hair wet, Riptide drawn, breathing heavily. "What happened? What is it?"

Annabeth eyed him curiously. "Why are you wet?"

Percy's guard fell as he said to her, "I was taking a shower when you pressed the button. What's wrong?"

At that moment, the shrieking echoed again, and the gush of fire.

Percy looked straight at her with alarm.

"Hydra?"

"Hydra."

* * *

**And they thought they were off of Monster Memory Lane when they left Tartarus...ppfftt, not while I'm in charge!**

**Thanks for Reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey Everyone!**

**So, this whole fight thing was originally supposed to be a filler as I thought of ideas, but I figured something out, so this chapter may be short, but it is not completely pointless!**

**So, yes, sorry for shortness, but updates will be coming everday this weekend!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 5

Leo

All eyes turned to Leo as the hydra roared again.

"What? Why me?" Leo asked.

"You can burn the necks, so they can't grow back, like Heracles did," Annabeth said. "Jason, Leo, Percy, and I will go and get it."

"Are you sure you want to go?" Piper asked. "I've been practicing my sword fighting and I think I can handle it."

Annabeth smiled at her half-heartedly, which made Leo a little bit suspicious, and Annabeth said, "No, I think I'll be okay." She pressed the flat side of her new blade on the palm of her hand and said, "I've been meaning to seriously test this out."

"You didn't in Tartarus?" Jason asked.

"I got it before we left," Annabeth said quietly. She stared at it for a little too long before sheathing it in her belt loop.

Leo sighed. "Okay. Fine. I'm assuming you have a plan?"

Annabeth nodded, "Jason, you're going to fly Leo around by air to keep him away from the hydra attacks and fly him in to burn the severed necks. Percy and I will go by water for the actual slicing."

Percy nodded. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

"Ugh…this is gonna be a little different than fighting dwarves," Leo said to Jason. "You sure you're up for carrying me around this long?"

"Sounds like you doubt me, Valdez," Jason smirked. "I can handle it, don't worry about a thing."

For some strange reason, that didn't comfort Leo at all.

Jason grabbed Leo from behind and shot into the air without another word.

As they were ascending, Leo looked down in time to see Percy and Annabeth leap off the railing of the Argo II and into the ocean.

The roaring made Leo cringe and cover his ears as it tore through the sky.

Leo looked up at Jason. He was grimacing.

"You can hold me, right?" Leo asked.

"It's the sound, Leo, calm down," Jason muttered.

Leo looked out over the water.

Sure enough, far across the water, was a hydra, with maybe seven heads, wearing…were they orange baseball caps?

"Uh," Jason said from above. "Do you see what I see?"

"Orange baseball caps?"

"Yeah."

They flew in closer and Leo noticed that it was also wearing a huge orange t-shirt with six extra holes in the top for each head to sprout out of.

"This is the weirdest thing," Leo muttered.

They finally got close enough to read the t-shirt, and Leo wanted to start laughing.

The shirt advertised a pizza place from America.

"So strange," Jason muttered.

"I think it's hilarious!" Leo smiled.

He finally saw Annabeth and Percy, closing in on the beast from the sides. They were riding the water like they were standing on top of waves, and they both had their swords drawn.

"Oh, I'm going in," Jason said.

Leo produced a fire ball and they dropped closer to the fight below them.

Annabeth struck first and hacked at the base of the neck of the beast to the far left.

The one in the middle turned toward her and shot fire.

A wall of water rushed up to meet it in a furry of hot steam. Annabeth disappeared from view behind it.

Leo turned and saw Percy rushed at the other head, stabbing at its neck until it came off.

Jason flew Leo in closer as he started shooting fireballs.

He ended up torching the thing in a circular motion, and when Annabeth shouted for him, Jason flew him off to cook another neck stump.

One tried to snap at them, but Jason veered off and swooped back in with ease.

Leo torched a couple more necks before things started to go wrong.

There was the loud sound of sloshing water and Leo looked to find Percy struggle to block of the fire from the middle hydra head.

There were only three heads left; the middle and one on each side.

Jason flew Leo in to help, but one of the heads snapped at them and Jason couldn't get by.

Annabeth was no where to be seen.

"Percy lost his focus," Leo said. "Annabeth fell into the ocean."

Jason swore in Latin. "What do we do now?"

"Fight the monster. Drop me off on one of the stumps and I'll start working my Leo magic." He lit his fingers for emphasis. "Tell Percy and then start hacking away once he goes underwater to get her."

Jason flew him in, dodging attacks by one of the heads, and placed him on the dry and spongy neck.

"Good luck," Jason said, and flew off to the other side.

The hydra head attacked first.

Leo dodged and shot fire in its eye. He pulled his hammer out of his tool belt and flipped it around. He dug the two ends into its neck and dragged it across while it roared in protest.

Leo shot fire at it whenever its mouth came toward him, and continued to work at cutting around it.

There was a sudden screeching sound from behind him, and when he turned, the third hydra head rammed into his body.

Leo went flying off the body and blacked out before he hit the water.

* * *

**Thanks for Reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey, Everyone!**

**SO sorry about not updating yesterday, I got held up by life! :P. But I'm back today, and unfortunately, this chapter is a filler chapter. Of epic proportions...sorry.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 6

Nico

The longer they moved, the more dismal their situation seemed.

Nico didn't know if he was lost or if he was going in the right direction, he didn't know what state they were in right now, but the night air was thick with darkness that settled over Nico with unease.

He looked back to check on Reyna, who even in the darkness had prominent features like her eyes and her cheek bones and her grimace. She was obviously tired, and the way her arms would sometimes shake under the weight proved her muscles were strained.

Nico couldn't check on Coach Hedge because of the statue in between them, but he had a feeling he was as tired as they were.

"Coach, you want to take a break?" Nico asked as they trudged along.

"N-n-no!" Coach stuttered. "I can…" he sucked in a really deep breathe, "keep going!"

"Well, _I _need a break," Reyna said from behind him, and stopped walking.

"Well…" Coach said as they worked together to put the statue down without crushing each others' fingers, "if the girl needs a break then I guess it's okay."

Nico looked over at Reyna, saw her glare at Coach, roll her eyes, and cross her arms.

"So, who's sleeping and who's taking the first watch?" Reyna asked.

"I'll watch," Nico said.

"You sure, kid?" Coach asked. "We've been doing a lot of walking because you were too tired to shadow travel. I'd like to end the walking as soon as possible."

"It's not physical exhaustion," Nico spat. "Not anymore. Just let me take the first shift. I'll sleep later."

Coach's reaction couldn't be seen in the dark, but Nico watched him move a little ways away to rest against the statue, and he crossed his arms over his stomach and stopped moving.

"Want company?" Reyna asked as she sat down next to him.

"I want a fire," Nico grumbled, poking the ground with his finger. "Make this a little more bearable."

Reyna shook her head. "It'll attract monsters in this darkness."

Nico eyed her as she stared at him. "You seem really laid back all of a sudden; way more laid back then any other time I've seen you. Why?"

"How so?"

"At Camp Jupiter it was always you, frowning, barking orders, never laughing, never cracking a joke, never smiling, always working working working, like every little problem had a super serious solution," Nico drew a smiley face in the soft Earth to emphasize his point.

He circled it as well as possible in the dark as Reyna said, "Name one time."

"Remember when Cohort 3 was out of toilet paper?"

Reyna looked away from him, at her knee. "That was one time. I was having a bad day."

That small remark made Nico smile. "When weren't you? So why have you suddenly changed?"

She looked back up at him with a small smile on her lips, cloaked in the shadow of night. "I'm not having very many bad days anymore. I'm not leading an entire camp right now, or even this quest. I'm just a worker ant, not the queen. And I'm really enjoying it."

"But it's still stressful," Nico noted. "I should know."

"But not _as _stressful. Do you see my point?"

"Maybe. But I think being a follower is better, anyway, stress or no stress."

"Why?" Reyna cocked her head to the side as she watched him.

"Because the entire fate of everyone on the quest isn't on your shoulders," Nico whispered to the smiley face in the dirt.

He drew a couple lines through it. He suddenly never wanted to see it again.

Reyna's arm was suddenly draped around his shoulders, and he looked up at her.

Now that she was closer, her entire face was visible to her, and she smiled. "Hey, it's okay. You have experienced help. We'll help you through it."

"I have a trained solider and a goat that likes violence." Nico shook his head.

"And then you'll have the whole camp," Reyna promised him. "You don't need to think about it too much right now. Save it for later."

"Is that what you do?"

"Just because I dish out advice, Nico, doesn't mean I follow it," she winked at him. "Now get to sleep, I'm taking first watch."

Nico lay back on the cold ground and stared at the stars above him.

He would never understand Reyna. But, nevertheless, he could always enjoy her company.

* * *

**Yup. A quick update with Nico and they rest of them. That's really all that was. **

**Thanks for Reading, and a better chapter should be up this week!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey, Everyone!**

**I need to get seriously better at updating...I've been meaning to update since Wednesday, and now...Sunday. Really, Kimmie, really?**

**Well, I hope you enjoy anyway; it's action and it's kind of long!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 7

Annabeth

Annabeth struggled to break the surface, but she was having trouble breathing.

She tried her best not to thrash in the water but based on her situation and the fact that she was underwater, all she could think about was the Cocytus.

She couldn't help but freak—there were too many memories of Tartarus surrounding her everyday life.

She swam desperately toward the surface, but for some reason she couldn't make her way anyone. She opened her mouth to scream for Percy and she was immediately bombarded with salt water; her nose and her mouth were flooded and she sent out bubbles instead.

Suddenly, a drastic change in water pressure made her ears pop and she thought she was sinking. She couldn't help but think pitifully _I'm dying I'm dying I'm dying_. She soon realized, however, that the surface was rushing down on her and her head broke through and she gasped for air as she shot higher and higher into the clouds on a water spout the size of the Argo II itself.

And as she tried to regain her sense of direction, her ears started popping again from the altitude and she felt so dizzy she could throw up when the water disappeared from under she as she shot back down toward the water, screaming.

As she turned and looked down at the water below her, she felt a nauseous wave of de ja vu. All she could think about was the Cocytus and she could almost see the souls swimming below her, screaming and wailing and convincing her to just give up.

And her body relaxed as she was thrown toward the water by gravity and she closed her eyes and she thought _just give up, just give up, just give up_.

Her body was rammed into from the side and she was grabbed. Her eyes flew open, startled, as she saw Jason's chin and determined glare at the sky in front of them.

He peered down at her and said, "Percy was a little busy. I think he'll appreciate that I stopped your death, though."

Annabeth looked at her feet, dangling below her, and Jason, holding her around her stomach to keep her in the air, and Jason, defying human logic and flying through the air.

But he was using demigod logic; and based on demigod logic, Annabeth's favorite, what Jason was doing was completely plausible.

They landed on the deck and Annabeth stumbled forward before collapsing on her hands and knees on the rough wood.

She felt the calloused skin of her hands and the softer skin of her knees split as the came in contact was the harsh material, and as her blood started to make small pools around her hands.

She coughed. She coughed again. She started spewing water out of her lungs with every cough until she threw up onto the deck as well.

Once her lungs were thoroughly clear and she couldn't throw up anymore, she collapsed on her side and stared at the railing of the ship.

_Am I going to pass out_? She thought. But no, nothing was going dark and her breathing was still heavy.

"Annabeth?" Piper's head appeared in her field of vision. "You still awake?"

Annabeth nodded and sat up, breathing heavily and rubbing her throat with her hand. "That bile did a number on my throat."

That made Piper smile.

She helped Annabeth up and then looked at her hands. "Gods, Annabeth. You want some ambrosia?"

Annabeth wiped her hands together, as if she was trying to clean dust off them, not blood, and shook her head. "No, I'm good, but thanks for asking."

"Um, are you sure it's safe? You could get an infection," Hazel spoke from behind her.

She turned to look at her and smiled. "No, I'm alright. But thanks."

"Wait, are you-"

But the rest of Piper's message was lost as Annabeth ran and leapt over the edge of the ship.

Jason caught her in mid-jump and called, "Where are we going?"

"Back to the fight," Annabeth replied simply.

She was happily surprised to find her weapon was still with her, and as they got closer, Annabeth was in shock and dismay.

Three hydra heads still remained, one barely still on to the neck, thank the gods, because the open end was still freshly cut.

_Where is Leo_? Annabeth thought as she saw Percy in the distance, standing on a hill of water, staring the beast down.

"Hang on one second," Annabeth said to Jason, and he slowed and they watched as Percy threw his arms into the air.

Behind him, the water began to tower and climb over itself until it was a huge wall behind him. He threw his arms forward and the wave surged forward, opening around him and then closing in from of him. Annabeth watched as the wave crashed over the hydra and it screamed and blew fire as it went crashing under the waves.

Percy stared, straight-faced, at the water where the hydra sank.

The hydra did not resurface.

Percy pushed himself over to Annabeth and Jason, and Percy called up, "You can give me Annabeth, Jason, I can take her from here."

Jason dropped Annabeth and she laughed as she fell into Percy's open arms. He carried her as he rushed toward the ship on the waves, and he smiled down at her.

Annabeth couldn't help but be mesmerized by his sea-green eyes. They looked so much happier than when they were in Tartarus. But they looked damaged as well.

Annabeth's expression dulled slightly and she realized that she probably had the same sort of look in her eyes. Some scars would never heal, and Tartarus was one of them.

Once the ship was close enough, Percy shot them into the air and they landed on the deck of the ship.

"Monster's gone, I assume," Frank said as he smiled at both of them.

"Of course," Percy said, putting Annabeth down.

"We never leave a job unfinished," Annabeth replied, smiling.

"Um, there's another thing gone," Hazel said as she looked around.

Annabeth did a quick headcount.

_Jason, Piper, Hazel, Frank, Percy, Annabeth…_

No Leo.

* * *

**Thanks for Reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey, Everyone!**

**This is the anticipated chapter you've all been waiting for! Leo's chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8

Leo

Leo opened his eyes.

At first, he was confused about the fact that he was floating in the water, staring at a thick fog above his eyes, and soon his reasons came flooding back to him.

He groaned and started to tread, looking around.

Nothing but thick fog.

He could only see his own body and the water three feet around him in a perfect circle.

He started to swim out in one direction, but only met more fog as he went along, never losing his reliable three feet radius of visibility.

He felt vulnerable swimming alone like this. He couldn't possibly image what had happened to his friends, only that a exposed hydra neck smells really nasty when it crashes into you like that.

His muscles began to grow tired as he continued to swim around the water into nothingness, just more white fog and no change.

He began to float again on his back, staring at the fog above him, wondering whether or not he would make it out of here alive, or whether or not he would ever see his friends.

So, in his despair, he began to think about his entire life and what he would miss most if he died of starvation out here.

His tool belt might've been magic, but it couldn't make food.

He thought of his mother and the workshop, how he already missed them and would be happy to be reunited with them. He thought about Hera and the gods and thought a simple "good ridden!" to all of them but one, his father who had blessed him with his life. He was also the one god who had yet to wrong them severely, and he hoped that wouldn't change after Leo was gone.

He thought of Jason and Piper, the first two demigods he'd ever met, and then he thought of Coach Hedge, the first satyr he'd ever seen, and the first person he'd ever tested a prank on, which led him to thinking about the Prophecy and his friends and his ship.

He thought of Festus, and he thought of the Argo II, and he thought of Percy and Annabeth and Frank and Jason and Piper.

And Hazel.

He thought for a while about Hazel. She was his first crush. He really, really liked her, and for a time it seemed she'd liked him back. But she never did, because Frank was always there for her and she loved him most.

And then he thought of Calypso.

Calypso, the girl of his dreams, who was caught on an island, alone, wishing for a way out.

That made his thoughts about Percy turn bitter for a second, but he quickly brushed them away. He knew Calypso's feelings, about falling in love and being rejected for someone else. He wanted to make her happy.

And he was going to find her.

_No man ever finds Ogigiya twice_. Her words had haunted his dreams and every thought as they sailed.

_I'm not an ordinary man, Calypso_. He thought as he began swimming again. _I'm Leo Valdez, Demigod child of Hephaestus, and you're the girl of my dreams_.

He began to swim around, constantly looked for land or anywhere he could stop and find resources.

When things looked dismal and bleak, he would begin to think about the construction of Leo and Calypso's Auto Repair Shop. And he began to think of how amazing his life would be with her by her side.

He had a bargaining card. The gods needed Leo to complete the prophecy. If he could make it to the island, he wouldn't leave until the gods would let her come with him. Until they would break her curse.

Until she could be happy.

Leo finally washed up on the shore of an island, after many hours of swimming and floating.

He ran up and began looking around at the beach.

He didn't know where he was, but he knew there were trees, and he knew he had a saw and an axe in his tool belt.

And he began to cut down a tree.

He peeled the bark and chopped it into planks as he thought about ways to use the huge leaves at the top to make a sail or even a bed.

He didn't know how long he would be on the boat, anyway.

Which got him thinking.

* * *

By sunset he had ten trees chopped down and cut into planks.

He began to put them together, arranging them into a hull and a base of a small fishing boat, and soon he had the deck built over half of it.

He built the little cabin in the back over night, sleeping in the bed made of wood and leaves.

He woke when the sun began to rise, and he continued to work on his little sailboat.

By noon he had it finished, and all he had to do was waterproof it.

He reached into his tool belt and pulled out a paintbrush.

"Really?" he asked no one in particular. Then he turned to the sky and said, "Hey, Dad. I was wondering if maybe you could bless me with some waterproofing paint. It would mean a lot, and I know you've been guiding me on this quest. So…would you?"

Then Leo closed his eyes, took a deep breathe, and plunged his hand into his tool belt and pulled out a can.

Waterproof.

He smiled as he began to paint his boat, repeatedly thanking his dad over and over.

* * *

By sunset that day he was pushing his ship into the water and setting sail.

He lit the two torches in the front, next to the wheel, ablaze, which gave him an extra two feet of visuals beyond the massive fog.

He did know which island he had just come from, but he knew he owed it ten trees and a lot of thanks.

He maneuvered by sight, looking around at dark nothingness.

He finally settled in for the night, thinking about Calypso.

And then, as he stared at the ceiling of the cabin above him, he sent one last prayer up to his father.

_Hey, Dad. I wanted to ask you one last thing. I wanted your guidance in finding Ogigya again. If it's, like, part of the curse that no one _can _ever find it again, I would like your help in lifting it. I want her to be happy, Dad. And I want her to be happy with me, off the island. I don't usually ask for much, Dad. I think if we add all the years I didn't say a word to you, and then add a couple more years in that I don't ask for any favors, like five, maybe, I think it will add up for this, don't you_?

And then he fell asleep with hope in his heart that his dad would pull through for him one more time.

* * *

**Thanks for Reading!**


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